Wednesday, September 30, 2009

MNfashion Week Recap #3: 9/24

Thursday, September 24: adorn, FAME, and Project Runway

By Jahna Peloquin

[Karma / Image by Stephen Stephens/Digital Crush]

It’s rare that I make it to an event early. Typically, I tend to arrive fashionably late, and such events have a tendency to start late. So when I headed out to Adorn, a sort of fashion crawl along St. Paul’s chic Grand Avenue as part of MNfashion Week around 8 p.m., I was shocked to find out Picky Girl was closing early – an hour before the set time. But then it hit me – of course! This was St. Paul we were talking about: People here arrive early and leave early, while us Minneapolitans are the ones that are late – that’ll teach me! So tag-teaming with l’etoile staff photographer Stephens Stephens, we headed to Grand Avenue boutique Karma, in the hopes it was still kicking.

And it was. Peeps were spilling out onto the street, including Alexis Walsko of Lola Red PR (and the fiery co-host of the “Shop Girls” radio show on FM107.1) and the rest of the fab Lola Red crew. When I told her I missed the Picky Girl event, where design duo Calpurnia Peach were doing custom screen-printing on tights, she showed me her own pair that bore the letters “L” and “R.” (If you missed them, they’ll be printing more tights at this Thursday’s Metro 100 Party at Rogue Buddha.)

Once inside, we ran into local news anchor and jewelry designer Robyne Robinson, who was hosting a ROX trunk show featuring her decadent line of gems. Store owner Jada Breuer offered me a glass of wine and I checked out the other new fall offerings from local designers, including silk cowl-neck dresses by kjurek couture and handknit sweaters by Knit ‘N Jules.

["Envision" at FAME / Image provided by Ignite]

Then it was onto this month’s edition of FAME, which doubled as a meet-and-greet and trunk show for the designers of last week’s Envision runway show. (Check out my recap of the show here. There I had the opportunity to look at the designs up close, and customers had the chance to try on the goods before they went to their respective shops (Cliché, Drama and Local Motion). Ignite models donned some of the fashions, and I was pleasantly surprised when I found out local designer Renate Adjei, known for her ultra-feminine designs and floral fabrics, was behind the African-print, structured dress worn by Ignite model Jerilyn.

[Models in looks from "Envision" at FAME / Image provided by Ignite]

After chatting briefly with Josh and Delayna Sundberg of Cliché, I headed out to catch the second half of Project Runway at Hell’s Kitchen. PR contestants Christopher Straub, Katherine Gerdes, MNfashion director Anna Lee, and fashion writer Sara Glassman were in the house for the weekly l’etoile-sponsored viewing party. Unfortunately, we left teary-eyed when it came to pass that it was former Minneapolis hometown hero Ra’mon-Lawrence Coleman that got the aufing. Fortunately, we still have Christopher to root for, and his killer design got him a second-place finish in the challenge.

(B-T-dubs, l’etoile’s “Project Runway” screenings are held weekly at Hell’s Kitchen, kicking off with fashion trivia with Beth and Kate of l’etoile at 8 p.m., with screening from 9-11 p.m. Check out the facebook invite for more info.)

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